Plant record

Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

Cosmos makes the garden loosen its shoulders. It is airy, generous, and best when you do not overfeed it.

Rankspeciesreviewed
GenusCosmosAsteraceae
Species anchorCosmos bipinnatusThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.
Library score92/100deep plant record

Garden timing

Direct sow after frost; thin before plants get leggy.

Transplant carefully after frost if started in cells.

Space-saving method: grow with stake support.

Plant intelligence

Use one square on an edge or corner; pinch early so it branches instead of becoming a tower.

cut flowerpollinatorbeneficial insect

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: airy branching annual flower

Height: 24-60 inches

Spread: 18-30 inches

Germination: 5-10 days

Sow depth: 0.25 inches

Bloom: summer, fall

Attracts: bees, butterflies, hoverflies

Record score

92/100deep plant record
Taxonomy confidence94Cosmos bipinnatus in Asteraceae; 2 cached source references.
Square-foot usefulness921 per square with stake support.
Timing and care depth922 planting windows, 55F minimum soil, 2 cautions.
Species and variety drill-down1003 variety or cultivar options attached.
Annual flower intelligence90high pollinator value.
Source readiness82Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificCosmos bipinnatusFamilyAsteraceaeLookup namesCosmos, Cosmos bipinnatus, garden cosmos

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit1 per square
92Use one square on an edge or corner; pinch early so it branches instead of becoming a tower. Support: stake.
Season behaviortender
92Direct sow. Transplant. One main planting.
Care loadlow water
74Rich soil can make lanky plants with fewer blooms. Tall stems may need a discreet support. Soil minimum 55F.
Bed ecosystem rolecut flower, pollinator
90high pollinator value; white, pink, rose, crimson.
Variety depth3 options
100Choose shorter varieties for mixed beds and taller varieties for dedicated flower runs.

Species and variety notes

Choose shorter varieties for mixed beds and taller varieties for dedicated flower runs.

Xanthoscultivar
100small-bed fit

A gentler color and habit for beds that do not want shouting.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

soft yellow, compact, cut flower75-90 days20-28 inches tall
Sonataseries
86small-bed fit

A better square-foot option where height must stay controlled.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: match timing and spacing to the rest of the bed.

compact, container friendly, edge plant70-85 days20-28 inches tall
Sensation Mixmix
46small-bed fit

A loose, romantic cosmos that wants a little room.

Best use: cut and garden display. Tradeoff: needs edge placement or support so it does not shade smaller crops.

classic, tall, easy75-90 days36-60 inches tall

Companions

tomato, pepper, dill, calendula

Cautions

Rich soil can make lanky plants with fewer blooms.

Tall stems may need a discreet support.

External enrichment

Cached name: Cosmos bipinnatus. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.
GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.
USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.
Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.
Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.
USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.
GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.
iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

USDA PLANTS Database

Plant identity, taxonomy, nativity, and conservation flags.

Source reference

GBIF Species API

Accepted scientific names, taxonomy matching, and occurrence context.

Source reference

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